


Coșmar

by Anne0000



Category: Alien Series, Alien vs Predator (2004), Predator Original Series (1987-1990)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Development, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Interspecies Awkwardness, Interspecies Relationship(s), Kicking ass and taking names, Language Barrier, Minor Violence, Original Character Death(s), Post-Apocalypse, Protectiveness, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Strong Female Characters, Survival, Tags Are Hard, Xenomorphs (Alien Series), Zoinks scoob, on GOD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:27:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29399061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anne0000/pseuds/Anne0000
Summary: It's almost funny how fast things can turn to shit.A young woman tries to survive an alien apocalypse together with some other survivors and a rather... Peculiar individual.If you enjoy some light.. or rough bickering, with protective, gruff alien boyfriends, or maybe even stories about friendships, personal developement and kicking some bony xenomorph ass; Then this might be for you. ;)
Relationships: Yautja (Predator)/Original Character(s), Yautja (Predator)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 53





	1. Chapter 1

It takes a long time to build a life. 

Its social circles, work, personal health and bad habits that develop over years. It takes a lifetime to build all of that, to carefully and precisely manage the building blocks of life until you create something worthwhile, something you can look at and say; “I did a pretty good job with that I had.” 

With all the time and energy that we spend on ourselves, building our own little towers of life and living in our pretty bubbles of seclusion; It becomes utterly tragic when you see just how little it takes for it all to come crumbling down, deteriorating into dust and in return, leaving nothing but scattering particles and a feeling of being utterly lost in this big world; so foreign and so different from the life we built in our secluded safe space, utterly terrifying. The apocalypse had come, but it did not burn the world to a crisp, it did not end in flames or ice, instead it came creeping, it came in silence. Screams drowning in the woods, nails scraping desperately against the wooden floor, bloody trails coating the entrance to the forest with a morbid red, disappearing into the shadows with dark hides, it all goes unnoticed. 

**This is how the world ends, not in fire, not in ice, but in darkness.**

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_Just a week ago I was doing chores on autopilot, scrubbing dry bits of food off of the kids table, chatting with some old customers about the exciting news which arrived that morning. It had been exciting news not only for our little café but also for our little town, which existence had remained otherwise uninteresting and bland to the outside world._

I open the cartridge one more time as though it will change if I do, it does not. One magazine left, that is my lifeline, it hangs upon the ledge of 18 bullets and a hunting knife. The sweat beads on my brow.

_It had been an unknown object, it crashed in a forest, just a couple of miles away from my own apartment, it didn’t even wake me when it hit._

_Then there were the bodies, the bodies with faces that had plastered the missing posters across town, mauled almost beyond recognition. Their remains were strewn across the forest floor, innards draped across the branches of the pines like some kind of fucked up birthday décor. The rangers had blamed it all on the local wildlife, “Must be cougars” they had said, with utmost conviction of their own expertise. And so all we got was a warning, we would stay out of the woods, and things would be fine. And they were, atleast until people started going missing inside the towns walls._

_As far as i know, a cougar wouldn't have the strenght to burst through a window and rip a man in half._

_The panic settled in then, for real this time, covering the town in a slow steady dread, but still nobody would listen, the people on the outside called us crazy. "Must have been a bear"_

_Absolute bullshit. All of it._

I finally manage to load the gun with a shaky breath, my hands are clammy and I wipe them on my jeans, turning to face my peers who appear every bit as frightened, dirty and bruised as myself. Our group was much smaller now, but all the wiser, braver. We had fought for our right to exist, to live, we had sacrificed almost everything, lost even more; morality, love, and sometimes faith too. But still as my eyes meet the ones surrounding me, I see no broken people, damaged and beaten, sure, but not broken. We all have our reason to stand tall, with a purpose, a driving power within us that no matter what keeps whispering “keep going”, and it has driven us here, for better or worse. Even as we shake and quiver our legs take us forward. 

And so, here we stand as tall as we can with as much bravery as we must have, as little mice at of the gates of the lion's den.

I shiver in fright.

A dark snarl rumbles through the ground up my chest, but it is not my own. It comes from up high, perhaps two feet taller than myself. The sound is evidently out of this world, non-human and unknown, it's harsh and baritone and it should scare me, but it does not. Instead It gives me courage, it encourages me and ignites my head with incomprehensible whispers that I have yet to understand, these whispers tell me that I have to fight, that I am strong, perhaps not as strong as my companion, or our enemy, but strong nonetheless.

I clench my hand around the gun, not in fear this time, but in a sudden rush of boldness, My eyes lay steady upon the cave opening that suddenly seems a lot smaller. I take a step and just like cogs in a machinery we are all moving, breaking past the icy barrier of fear, and treading with purpose, our steps slightly lighter than before. I walk with the strong warrior at my side, tense like a coiled spring and radiating a fierceness that mirrors my own.

As the adrenaline of the hunt burns in my veins I come to a decision; Tonight I will step into the hunting grounds, but not as the meek little mouse.

Tonight I am a huntress, a warrior.

Tonight I am the tiger.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so our story begins. Morgan and the gang discuss a game plan

Tik,,tik,tik,tik,tik,tik. 

The tiny mechanic hands of a man's wristwatch echo in the background, distinguishing themselves from the empty silence of the cafe. Nobody has dared say a word for the past 30 minutes, remaining still and silent, afraid. The tension is thick and for a second I feel as if i could suffocate on it, the panic is slowly rolling in my stomach, rising like the tide with my shaky breaths. A hand lands on my shoulder and something inside of me crackles. 

Cassie's voice is quiet as it breaks the silence, “I think it’s gon-” Before I have the time to realize what I'm doing my hand is clasped over the one on my shoulder a little too tightly, my wide eyes snap up past the dirty sweatshirt to a very young face. She flinches a little and something in me snaps back into reality as I instantly release my grip with a nervous hiss. “Shit- I’m-fuck. Sorry Cass” 

She gives me a warm smile which just manages to make me feel like even more of an ass. The girl waves me off dismissively, most likely upon seeing my tense expression.   
“No, no it’s okay, I shouldn’t have just grabbed you like that, I guess we’re all pretty riled up” She whispers.

She offers me a hand from her standing position and I take it, letting her pull me up, grateful to put some pressure off my bad leg. Sure it doesn't hurt as much as before, but it's best to be careful and let it heal for as long as possible if I need to use it properly any time soon. I dust myself off briefly before tilting my head down to see Cassie’s toothy smile, I give her my own crooked one in return and end up awkwardly patting the top of her head. Cringing on the inside at the gesture and silently berating myself for not showing more affection. it's not that i don't like her, i just don't have the need for an overt amount of affection, and that need has grown even smaller as times have gotten harder. You change as a person when you spend all your days on edge, like a coiled spring, but Cassie deserves more than to hug someone and have them go stiff as a board.

Despite my inner monologue she smiles and shoves my shoulder in a lighthearted manner, at the end of the day she knows what I’m like, and she seems to accepts it, even the odder traits of mine. Her smile twitches a little as her eyes shift to the blinds sheltering us from the harsh reality of the outside world. She stares and seems to get lost a little while, eyes glazing over slightly.

“They’ve been coming around more often” 

The voice comes from the other side of the room and it makes both me and cassie whip our heads around fast enough for the room to spin. Wes is slumped over, rolling a coke bottle along the wooden floor, legs spread with his face resting in his hands. He doesn’t look at any of us as he continues in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.   
  
“It won’t be long until they find us. At least if we stay.” 

I raise an eyebrow at the statement.“What do you mean if we stay? We don’t exactly have anywhere else to go.” 

Wes rolls his eyes before settling his gaze on me “Duly Noted" He smiles dryly talking in an overtly enthusiastic tone."But if we stay, we’ll die eventually anyway. Starvation, dehydration, Being mauled to bits or maybe even Impregnated to death. Wonderful stuff really" Seemingly satisfied with his rant he sinks further into the ground "Feel free to take your pick love” With that he turns his eyes away to the much more interesting bottle, He gives the glass chamber a flick, bored look on his face. 

I run a distracted hand through my bangs, twisting and turning the thoughts inside my head but remaining otherwise quiet once i realize that the man (despite his usual shitty attitude) Does have a point. 

“It’s risky Wesley” This time it's Clio who speaks up, she had been standing in the corner, arms crossed. 

Wesley looks up at her from the floor, shrugging with a sluggish motion. “So is staying.” 

With that clio pushes off the wall and walks closer to the group, browns furrowed. “Be reasonable, I know you want to go, but we can’t just walk out of here, we barely have enough weapons to defend ourselves as it is... And without walls to protect us-” 

“-We’re going to be like walking pieces of meat.” I finish solemnly. The silence in the room is defeaning and i shake my head in disbelief. “...How the hell are we going to manage this...” It’s a quiet mumble from my end and thus I expected no answer. 

Cassie sidles up besides us, looking unnervingly serious. “We’ll need a plan” 

Wes smiles dryly, stretching long strong limbs like a feline. "I was hoping you would say that Barbie" With that he stands up from the floor to walk over to the mapping table, (very useful for checking out potential food markets and general scavenging, AKA a “must have” in this modern age apocalypse.) 

Wes crosses his arms as his eyes jump fleetingly between the different pins. Some marked with an X for drained spots, and one entirely black; St Lauren’s mental hospital, a highly infested area filled with the toughest bugs, we’ve only gotten close once, and we ended up losing two people, not being able to do anything other than watch as they were dragged down into the chasm and out of sight forever, we never went back there. Everyone knows what happens once you get infected, it’s a dead end, the point of no return, all we could do was pray they had a quick death, which was to tell the truth; Not likely. 

Nobody has walked into the giant cavern of the bottom floor and lived to tell the tale, besides; who knows what horrors await down there. 

An ominous shiver runs down my spine, I shudder. 

Wes taps his finger against a pin on the map. “What about here?” 

I cross my arms over my chest, leaning my hip on the table. “No way, the place has almost no cover, plus; last time I had to drag you out by your ass because you dropped your bullets all over the floor” 

“I was doing just fine...” It’s nothing but a mumble and If I didn’t know any better, Wes had a slight tint to his ears, which would have been cute if he hadn’t been a bit of a dirtbag. 

“No offense Wesley, you weren’t. Perhaps stay away from guns until you learn how to use them? Just a tip.” 

He’s giving me a rotten glare and I just shrug my shoulders in response, it wasn’t meant to be offensive, but I wasn’t going to sugarcoat it, because It was true, we couldn’t afford any more mistakes. Sure, we’ve had a lot of luck so far, but luck doesn’t last, and it definitely can’t be trusted. Fate is a cruel motherfucker. 

I nod towards the corner of the map. “What about the farm? It’s far away enough, lots of shelter, we’d be secluded too, safer.” Wes nods once, looking to the other people in the room for opinions. 

Clio leans on the map, studying it closer before she looks up, dark curly hair swaying with the motion. “It’s almost 16 miles away though.” Clio gives Wes a skeptic look, full mouth tightening into a thin line. 

Wes rakes a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. “I know, but I'm sure we can make it if we just-” 

“No, no, no, no that is out of the question, it’s a suicide mission, an hour out there is long enough, but four? And with no shelter? No place to hide?” Clio’s voice cracks a little, she wets her lips, shaking her head softly. “We’ll all be dead before we reach it... Then it would all be for nothing; Every sacrifice made; every life lost... it’d all be in vain.” She takes a steadying breath, straightening up and letting her face slip back into a cool and collected mask, although it appears somewhat forced. 

“My point is we can't...We can’t go, we won’t go” 

I limp around the table until I'm by her side, I take her head in my hand, giving it a soft push so she’s leaning against my shoulder. Clio; Unlike her, actually relaxes and lets me be her anchor for once. I recognize her fears as my own. At nights where sleep doesn’t ever come, I see their faces, they glow with life, bodies heaving with breath and sometimes, although not often; with laughter. Then comes the screams, the screams of terror than echo inside my head until dawn. The nights where I manage to fall asleep, I still can’t escape, I watch as chests heaving with life turn pale and weak, ribs crack, violently, ribcage breaking violently, splitting flesh and puncturing lungs, ending in both life and death. I’m left with nothing but a heavy ache, my own chest hurting with phantom pains that scare me just as much each time. 

If only I would have done something, anything. 

I should have. 

Not knowing what to say I lean my cheek against her head instead, whispering quietly. 

“We’ll just have to find another way, just keep your chin up and we’ll work it through alright?” She nods, straightening up. It’s Cassie who speaks now, surprisingly enough since she’s been quiet for the entire conversation. 

“...How bad do we need to go? 

“Reaaaally Bad.” Wes swirls on his heels and leans on the mapping table with his forearms. Cassie plucks at the loose strings of the sweatshirt, looking mostly at her own shoes. Wes gets impatient and sighs, gesturing for her to continue. “Today maybe?” 

I elbow him in the ribs and Cassie finally looks up “I know a place where we can stay, at least for the night. With a concentrated expression she then walks closer to the map, studying it for a while before seemingly finding what she’s looking for, she picks up a pin and places it inside the forest. 

I raise an eyebrow. “Your plan is to sleep in the forest?” It’s Wes who puts everyone's thought into words, he looks less than impressed, huffing out a dry mocking laugh that makes me want to kick his ass for sounding like an absolute dick. 

Cassie remains unfazed though as she explains. It’s not just empty forest out there, there’s a place we can stay; a hunting cabin. It’s not too far away and it can act as a shelter and pit stop between this café and the farm.” 

Clio arches a manicured brow. “How come it isn’t marked on the map then?” 

Cassie shrugs and tugs on a sleeve of her shirt. “It’s new, the map is two years old and it was built about a year later. What’s important is that I know It’s there and I think we can find food there as well.” 

Wes claps his hands before putting them behind his head. “Well, there you go!” He swivels around on his chair like the man-child he is before turning to my sour expression with an exaggerated smile. “What do you think Moggie-poo? Want to be my hiking buddy?” 

“Eat my ass Wes.” Slapping him would be a waste of energy. 

“Sorry, prepubescent boys aren’t really my type. Hard pass.” 

I resist the urge to instinctively cover my chest and instead settle on a fiery glare.

He gives me a cold smile, thumping his chest with his fist.

...

I’m going to strangle him. 

Clio sighs, massaging her forehead with her fingers. “Girls, You’re both pretty! Can we return to business?” 

“Sorry C.” My face burns. I look up at Cassie with a shrug “I think the cabin is a good idea, though.” 

With a short discussion of the risks and a repetition of ground rules we decide to go. 

Wes is more than happy with the decision of course, looking every bit as pleased as a fox who managed to weasel his way into the farmer’s chicken pen. Clio is skeptical but nonetheless she agrees. No matter our hesitance, each and every one of us are acutely aware of the consequences of staying in one place too long, and we had overstayed our welcome. As we pack our bags with all the supplies, we can carry I try my best to ignore the cold lump in my gut telling me that something is wrong. We manage to pack up the stuff we need, and with rifle in hand and bags on our shoulders we take our first peek past the blinds of the back entrance. 

The sun slips through the crack, deceiving in its beauty. It’s odd, how the sun still rises and falls even as humanity crashes and burns. 

“Coast is clear” Clio whispers from her position closest to the door. I forget how to breathe as we slip past the door, a tense moment of silence sippers through, a moment that could mean either disaster or success. Alas; Theres no other life to be found outside the door, just the cool airflow of the late summer’s dawn. There’s a collective sigh of relief before we move with urgency; towards the forest, towards new places. As we do I realize we’re leaving all safety behind us, for better or worse. 

Cassie cocks the barrel of rifle with a snap. 

**Here we fucking go.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so this first chapter is really short, they will get longer but i felt that i atleast had to get the story started first.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An... intense encounter

The golden sky is slowly turning darker for every step we trek. We kick pebbles, step over tree stumps and move past the overgrown bushes of the woods. The first hour is tense, everyone is equally nervous and Wes almost shits himself when a bunny rustles the shrubs, his overdramatic reaction works to loosen up the atmosphere as Cassie and I muffle our snorts at his behavior.

Clio has the smaller gun in her hand, covering our front as Cassie carries the rifle at the back. The harsh texture of branches and sticks scratch at our sensitive summer skin as we step in light jackets and dirty sneakers. 

“How much longer?” Wes whines.

Here we go again. Fuck. I roll my eyes, unable to muster up an ounce of patience, too tired to answer for the fifth time. Cassie takes it upon herself to tell the impatient five-year-old in front of us that we are indeed “almost there”. Wes sighs and goes on a small rant about how much his feet hurt and my brain automatically tunes out, singing old commercial songs to itself out of pure boredom.

I’m happily mumbling along to some old spice commercial tune when I hear a snap from the forest clearing to my right. My breath stutters a little and I automatically stop my mindless humming. I wait a heartbeat, one, two. My ears are ringing as I stare into the forest, too scared to let my eyes off the dark shadows where I thought I saw a flicker.

_ Something is in there; the serpents have come to get you as a punishment for leaving your people to die. _ It’s a panicked mantra inside my head, every light particle looks like a shiny hide, every movement in the grass reeks of blood and sharp talons. The dark muzzle of a rifle enters my right peripheral. We stand there like frightened bunnies for a solid ten seconds, I hold my breath like it would help until I feel safe enough to look at the young girl, wearing a much braver façade than my own. She sweeps her eyes over the clearing one last time before nodding at me to keep walking so we don’t fall behind.

Cassie keeps her eyes ahead as she hops over a broken branch. “Did you hear something in the woods?” For a long minute I debate whether I should answer honestly or not, but I end up shrugging and saying something along the lines of “Probably just another bunny”. Besides, the tactical flashlight mounted on her friends' rifle would have exposed the danger if there had been any. I’m just paranoid, right.

Right?

Cassie interrupts my thoughts with an excited shove as she motions forward to the wooden structure peeking out of the pines. Cassie and Wes take off into a jog that turns into a sprint, each trying to beat the other to the target. 

I give in to a warm chuckle before I take off into a sprint myself, purposefully bumping into Clio’s shoulder as I pass. I barely hear her amused snort with the wind whistling past my ears. 

I can’t help but smile as the long grass tickles my bare ankles, feeling truly alive for even just a moment.

________________________________ ____________________________________

Our little playtime is over as soon as we open the cabin. 

“Holy fuck” My slack jaw turns into an excited smile as I run over to the fridge in the middle of the small cabin. I give an almost lustful sigh as I realize we have other options than canned beans and  SpaghettiOs , my empty stomach rumbles in appreciation.

_ God is good. _

“Right, go ahead and raid my fridge, damn raccoon.” Cassie shakes her head at me, smiling before hopping onto the leather couch to sit cross legged. 

I shrug my shoulders, shoving a granola bar into my mouth and walking over to plop myself on the couch. I ruffle the blonde's hair before I sit down. “You know you love me” I mumble through the crumbs. Clio goes over to count our rations before sitting down with the girls on the couch, I rest my head in her lap as Wes sprawls out on the badass looking bear rug, suddenly not so whiny anymore. “Look guys! I'm making snow angels! Fur angels? Bear angels.” 

I shift my head to the side to look at the  Fucknut currently sprawled on the floor. “Do you want a golden star or something bud?” Wes just pouts before sitting up with a sigh. “I’d very much like that actually” He snatches the bar from me before I have the time to realize what hit me. He bites into it, crumbles falling all over the nice, previously clean carpet. I scowl, throwing myself across the couch to snatch it back, shaking my finger in his face with a deadly serious expression. “NO! Bad Wes...” I take a meaningful bite out of my bar, swatting his hand away when he reaches for it again. I grumble and shove the whole thing into my mouth, all while maintaining intense eye contact just to show dominance. Wes just crosses his arms, leaning back against the table. “You’re a child” 

I just huff at him around my mouthful of crumbs. Clio pats my head, sighing. “She is, but try not to mess with her food, she bit me in the knuckle once just because I took a bite of her sandwich. We we’re twelve”

“She cried” I prompt around my bar.

“I cried” Clio shrugs.

I don’t know if I should be offended or amused so I just chew in silence.

_______________________________________________________________________

“I’m fucking stuffed” Wes smacks his hard stomach, putting his arms behind his head.

We had dinner together in a calm and collected way, for the first time in a week. Now we all lay comatose, full and happy.

Clio is the first to sigh and get up. “Well, since we’re going to be up early tomorrow, I think I'm going to hit the hay, we’ll take whatever we need with us tomorrow morning.” With that she walks off towards the upper bedroom, (we had decided that she and Cassie would sleep upstairs, Wes would take the guest bed and I would take the couch.) Wes yawns and rolls his shoulders. “Well ladies, gonna go ahead and get some beauty sleep”

“Good, you need it” I mumble to myself and Cassie snickers when I get smacked on the back of the head. Wes saunters past, looking at me over his shoulder, unbothered as usual. “Shut up hag” With that he makes his way up the stairs, hands in pockets. I’m left frowning and rubbing my head. Hag? I’m like two years older than you, bitch.

Beside me Cassie rubs her eyes. I smile a little crookedly and shove her shoulder. “You can go to bed if you’re tired you know” 

Cassie just smacks at my hand, waving me away “ Pftt No, no I’m good, I'm not even tired, I’ll stay up with you for a bit” 

I shrug, looking out the window “I won’t be going to bed any time soon, you should get some sleep, I mean it” Cassie ends up sighing and somewhat reluctantly dragging herself up the stairs. It’s not that I don’t enjoy her company, she needs the sleep more than I do right now, young as she is, even though I'm only five years older. She just feels like the little sister I never had sometimes, gotta love the kiddo.

I get everything ready before getting into the sofa. It’s comfortable enough to sleep in, but it’s not that easy. I just can’t relax, I’ve had trouble sleeping since this whole... _ thing  _ started, which is of course natural, I mean, there's only so much horror than the mind  can withstand before it retaliates with some kind of defense mechanism, in my case; insomnia.

The clock on the wall ticks, a constant rhythm that should calm me, but only does the opposite. As I lay there twisting and turning, I can’t help but feel suffocated in this small, warm, empty room. The walls are closing in on me, crushing me in its force.

I turn to the side. 

My fingertips turn cold as my back dampens with sweat, not the warm kind, but cold and festering.

I turn again.

The screams echo and as I force my eyes to close all I see are bursting ribs on repeat.    


In a second, I'm out of bed and running out onto the cool grass in the darkness. I make it ten meters before I empty my guts onto the forest floor, knees shivering. I take a second to breathe, spitting countless times before wiping my mouth with a shaky hand, at least I managed to not get any vomit on my converse or clothes...Yuck. I look to the little candlelit cabin shining in the dark, then to the forest, chewing on my cheek, trying to stop myself from scratching at my skin.

It’s not that dark outside yet, since it’s only late summer. I could even bring a flashlight and a knife, just a little walk should be fine, to calm my nerves. I tiptoe back into the hunting cabin to brush my teeth from the puke taste, I bring a hunting knife from Cassie’s bag as well as a flashlight. 

_ This should be good.  _

With that I'm out the door again, it turns out to be a lot less creepy than I had imagined, with crickets chirping and fireflies buzzing the forest feels a little more alive instead of unnaturally silent. When it’s silent it’s worse, it makes you concentrate on all the little noises even more, makes you paranoid... As I walk, I find myself wishing I had a cigarette, I had quit smoking long ago, proud of it too, but at times like this I missed it. I stir in my own thoughts, seemingly lost in time.

**_ Snap _ **

I whip my head around, heartbeat stuttering in my chest. I stand utterly frozen like a deer in headlights for a solid minute before I calm down enough to start walking again, lightheaded from forgetting to breathe. 

I mumble into the darkness, reassuring myself. “It’s fine, just a little noise Morgan, you’re fi-”

The leaves ruffle.

** “NOPE  ** ** NOPE ** **** ** NOPE ** **** ** NOPE ** ** -” **

I take a sharp turn around, deciding that I've done enough walking for the night. My shoe slips on the wet dirt and the scream gets lodged in my throat. My grip shakes around the flashlight as I scramble backwards, feeling dizzy enough that I might pass out. The hiss echoes through the forest, shattering the fake image of safety that it had given me just seconds before. As I quiver it slithers around the side of the pine and down to the grass some feet away from me. The black pointed tail sways in a threatening motion behind its bony body, as black inky maws pull back to reveal silver teeth in a malevolent hiss. The saliva drips onto the ground as it stalks me, playing with me, wanting to scare me.

In the split second it takes for the dark serpent to screech into the night I'm up on my feet, my previously injured leg is forgotten as the adrenaline shoots through my body in pure terror.

As I run my ears ring and I make the stupid decision of turning around to see how close behind me; 

I fall. 

I fall and tumble down a hill, through bushes and gravel. I roll to a stop at the bottom and barely have enough time to catch my breath before I push myself up on scraped elbows. I turn around sharply as the alien leaps down from above, coming to even ground with me. I realize running is futile, and that it will likely just catch up to me if I do. Something in me buzzes to life at that and I start really looking at my opponent as we circle each other at a distance, it’s a dance of death.

It’s tail whips like that of an angry cat, but despite all its fussing, I come to realize it’s on the smaller side compared to the ones I've came across before, perhaps the size of a big canine. My pulse roars in my ears, drowning out the angry hisses from the monster. It seems to lose interest in its taunting and launches itself at me, we tumble down to the ground and it ends up on top of me, pinning me down with raw strength. My jacket rips as I struggle and I reach for the only thing I am close enough to grasp; The knife. I slash the creature’s shoulder out of instinct and It squeals in pain. Acidic blood drips along the knife and onto my hand as I scream in pain. The creature rears back, letting go of me and in that split second, I propel its body off of me with a hard kick. The monster hits the tree with a hard crack, Most likely breaking something upon impact. It whines for a moment but soon returns to snarling, it limps towards me, still hellbent on finishing me despite its broken leg and for a second, I feel pity. Then my mind wanders to the lives lost, and my eyes go cold. I push down on the creature’s head with my heel, securing it as well as I can while it’s still disoriented, before taking out my hunting knife. With as much control as I can I sink the knife into its skull, aiming for a clean kill, avoiding any more burns if possible. The serpent whines for a second before turning limp as the blade penetrates  its brain matter. I kick it with my boot to make sure it’s dead before I collapse onto the ground, panting.

As my own lonely heartbeat thunders in my ears, I hear another hiss. My blood turns to ice thinking I should have checked it thrice, but it is not the young juvenile, coming back from the dead to haunt me. As I scramble upright again, fumbling with my knife, it comes into the light.

Its dark skin is bony but strong even to the human eye, made for not only strength but speed, it rises to its hindlegs slowly, watching me with a tilted head, hungry look on its face even as it has no visible eyes. It towers above me from a distance, standing at maybe 7 feet. 

It is... This is the perfect predator, and my worst nightmare. I turn white as a sheet. Gripping my knife hard enough for my fingers to turn numb. It looks to the young corpse beside me before looking back to me, snarling with malice.

As I stand there shaking, I can’t help but let one word slip past my trembling lips.

“F-Fuck”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler alert:  
> Our grumpy space boy is not far away now ;)  
> *EXCITEMENT*


	4. Chapter 4

I used to fight. 

Sure, it was a long time ago, before dreams got too big and before the house by the lake got too small. When I lived at home with the people, I call family. I used to fight then, to try and combat my fear, make me feel something, anything really. And it worked for a while, it may not have made me any less fearful, but it gave me some confidence, it was an outlet. Needless to say, it didn’t last. I moved out, away from the countryside and into a bigger area, as kids do, ready to show the world what I got. Well, reality is that a full-time waitressing job is hellishly stressful, and with that along with studies... Well, I couldn’t fight anymore. 

But right now, in this moment as the giant fucking creature digs its sharp claws into the ground, hissing at my face; I wish I had kept going, because my body is stiff, frozen. There is no coiling heat in my bones, only rigid fear. 

I wish I hadn’t stopped. Maybe then I'd be a little more prepared, maybe. 

“Fuck” I mumble with dry lips. It snarls and all of a sudden, I'm running as fast as my legs can carry me. I hear the heavy thumping of approaching footsteps and at one point I'm certain that I can feel it’s rancid breath on my shoulder. I slide under a fallen tree; the opening is too narrow for the black snake to get through. Domed skull catches on branches. It’s stuck. A pair of inner jaws snap at my hair and I can't help but yelp. Stumbling and catching myself on my hands just in time I keep on running until the sound of its shrill shrieks are barely audible, but still, I can’t stop. Dust flies as my converse span across the forest. My head is spinning from the lack of oxygen as I hear the thudding of heavy steps coming ever so closer. 

It’s catching up to me, I know it, even as my ears tune out, I can almost feel the teeth at the back of my neck. My knees buckle a little but I force them to keep going even as the lactic acid burns in my body. I desperately search the forest in front of me, trying to find somewhere to go, somewhere to hide. As the wind rushes past my ears, I vaguely register a humid huff of rancid breath before I'm being knocked onto the ground. I yelp in pain. A heavy clawed foot presses forcefully on my spine, pinning me flat against the ground. Something warm, wet and stomach wrenching drips onto my neck as I turn rigid with fright. 

‘Maybe if I stay quiet it will lose interest.’ A little voice in my head is quick to quip, too naïve for its own good. 

My eyes bulge. Claws press into my lower back, slicing fabric. The world puts itself on pause. 

I only hear my own heartbeat until a sharp harrowing scream pierces my eardrums, a scream which I vaguely recognize as my own. The claws sear into the flesh of my back making me go rigid with white, hot pain. My mouth hangs open, nails turn bloody and broken from clawing at the hard ground. 

My heart beats fast enough for me to know that I'm on the verge of passing out, but as I stare into the emptiness, too frightened to even cry; a loud snarl interrupts my thought process. I’m too close to the ground to lift my head up without the risk of having my spine severed, so I just stare at the ground, wide eyed, trying to breathe despite the pressure on my ribs. I don’t quite process what happens next. The world goes silent for a minute, even the forest stops whispering. There is a wet crunch, a sharp, unpleasant shriek echoes in the air. The giant on top of me sways... One time... two times, before losing balance and collapsing onto the ground next to me with a heavy thud. I shriek as I come face to face with the double jawed mouth. I Scramble out from under its heavy leg with some effort before I’m finally able to lift my head up enough to see what happened. I barely have enough time to focus my gaze before a cold surface makes contact with my flushed skin. 

The bipedal creature snarls. Two jagged blades resting with silent threat just under my chin. If I move the wrong way it could slip and slash my throat, a major artery even. I turn suddenly still, trying to control my breathing as much as possible. 

From the ashes and back into the fire we go. 

I breathe tersely through my nose. The silence is tense, thick enough to slice with a knife. The humanoids muscles are corded, strong. It’s body tense, coiling like a loaded spring. My own body does not match the others calm and collected stillness, instead it shakes with small tremors every now and then. I try to not let it show, though I'm certain it sees it anyway, with the way it’s watching me in total focus. Like it may just pounce any second now, to eat me whole. My nose burns and my brain seems to have tapped back in. It takes a while for me to process my surroundings fully, but as I do a distinct sizzling reaches my ears. My eyes go wider than saucers. 

“FUCK FUCK FUCK” 

Without even thinking about the blade, I twitch; it cuts a red angry line across the bottom of my jawline but I barely register the pain as I struggle to remove my burning jacket. The acid works quickly, and by the time It lays discarded on the forest ground, my shoulder blades sting with the light chemical burns left behind, some of it overlaps with the cuts from earlier and I grind my molars together, spine tensing from the pain. 

The warrior has gone still, seemingly analyzing me, watching every twitch and turn. Dreads sway with a tilt of the head. 

It seems to be in no hurry. 

I take a peek at the corpse from my peripheral before looking to the warrior. I tilt my head in wonder and it does it back and if I hadn’t been just two seconds short from pissing myself earlier; I might have chuckled at the puppy-like resemblance. Except it was no puppy, rather a 7ft something tank from outer space. Definitely not the cuddly type. I swipe my hand under my chin absentmindedly, wiping away the small droplets of velvety red. it had been a clean cut. The pain is nonexistent, especially compared to my shredded back. 

I open my mouth to say something, anything. But the warrior clicks before turning its powerful back to me. It clicks quietly staring into the undergrowth. I step around the hunter, keeping my eyes on the bushes, suspicious of any kind of movement, I see nothing. After a couple of tense minutes, I give up, fear gives away to impatience and curiosity. 

“What? did you see someth-” 

A rough tug and I'm grabbed by the collar of my T-shirt. Another clawed hand grabs my jaw a little too hard and I’m left staring into the emptiness of its mask as It growls. I hold my breath, more than a little bit intimidated. The rumbling sound is quiet, but holds too much meaning for me to even think about protesting. 

‘Don’t talk. Or I will cut your fucking head off’ he didn’t have to say. 

Perhaps seeing my nonverbal show of submission, it watches me for another terse second before dropping me carelessly like a dirty rug. I huff, landing hard on my ass. The hunter huffs, shaking its dreaded head before walking, or rather sauntering; into the forest bushes. I stare, baffled. I can’t do anything other than just, stare. He just left me here, alone, in the forest. 

Sure, what did I even expect anyway? It's not like he’d carry me back bridal style, the bastard. Dusting my ass off I rise to take in my surroundings. I take in my surroundings and status. I’m on my own in the woods, I don’t know how badly I'm wounded or how much it’s really bleeding. I lean against something akin to a dark spruce, wincing when it makes contact with my thinly covered back. I lean my head back, looking up at the sky through the tree crowns. 

I should go back. Sure, it will take some time, but I’m sure I could get back to the cabin eventually. 

Wait. Hold on. Morgan you aren’t seriously thinking about heading back? On your own? What if those snakes come slithering again? How would you protect yourself? 

I slowly look down to the hunting knife in my jean pocket, cringing. 

Yea that’s not ideal. I sigh out loud, trying to decide which way I should go, which way I came from in the first place, my gaze wanders over to the bushes, eyeing the gigantic humanoid tracks, they're imprinted in the grass, easy to see. 

Nope. No. Not a good idea. Nada, never. 

He’d be easy to follow. And it’s better than trying to go home alone, defenseless. 

No. 

He’s much stronger than me and he even has weapons, maybe I could take one. I fiddle with the hunting knife in my pocket, leather handle rough against bloody fingertips. 

No. Besides, he’s clearly hunting something. Most likely one of those... Things, you’ll only get your ass handed to you if you touch his shit. Even if you survive, I doubt said hunter will be Oh so joyous that you not only followed him in there but on top of that; tried to steal his weapons. If you just turn back now, we could scout our surroundings and maybe-” 

I don’t know why or when but suddenly I’m jogging, well, as good as one can jog in my condition. I’m tracking the large footsteps as I go, absolutely terrified but high on a thrill I can’t pinpoint or rationalize. 

The little voice of reason in me sighs in defeat, retreating back into its little corner with reluctance, as something else, new, wild and more than a little scary; surges to the frontlines. 

______________________________________________________ 

It takes about five minutes of running through the bushes like a madwoman for the adrenaline to simmer out from my system. 

It takes Six minutes for me to falter, to consider going back. I push on ahead. 

Ten minutes in I realize that I'm lost. 

I shove my way past another prickly branch, making sure to hold it back so it won’t whip me. Through the trees I see the peak of early morning warmth, the first rays of daylight are slithering over the top of the horizon. Dawn. We we’re supposed to leave together at dawn. 

And I'm lost. 

Alone. 

In a fucking forest. 

I frustratedly remove the elastic from my wrist, aiming to get some hair out of my face. Reaching my arms over my head makes the skin on my back burn so I try to make fast work of it. It’s still too short, as the lower half of it falls out. With an aggravated huff I make do with the odd style since the effort of trying to fix it isn’t worth the pain. I’ve come to a stop at a small clearing. The big tree canopy stretches tall over my head, shielding me from the night and any apparent dangers. Theres a small stream down ahead, the sound of pouring water is strangely therapeutic, it glimmers in green and blue, serene. I spin on my heels, trying to figure out why the footsteps just stop in the middle of the clearing. I spin around in circles, trying to find any other tracks. I come up empty handed... Great. 

“I-I swear that he went this way. I don’t-he couldn’t have-” It’s a quiet mumble. A habit of talking to oneself makes times like these less lonely. 

My shirt is most likely soaked in blood by this point. The skin is so numbed from the burn that I can’t feel any kind of wetness even if I concentrated. The placement of the wound is a problem, it’s in the middle of my back and almost impossible to bandage up myself. I lean my forehead against a tree, sighing in exhaustion, seeking some comfort, any kind really. 

Then I hear something. 

My eyes snap open. 

A rough tumble. A familiar snarl. It couldn’t be. Oh but it is. 

I whip my head around, towards the sound. It comes from my right, maybe 500 yards to the west. 

I still. The forest holds its breath with me, swaying it’s leaves in a calming illusion. I shake my head, turning on my heel and making my way back to where I came from. I refuse to get involved, not again. 

Thump. 

I freeze. 

Thump THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP! 

My muscles tense and I realize what is about to happen just a fraction of a second before it actually does. Dreadlocks breaks the barrier of leaves, behind him; one, two... Three dark masses, maybe more, I don’t stop to count. My heels dig into the dirt and in a second, I'm moving, pain forgotten for now, adrenaline numbs my burns better than any prescription drugs ever could. I jump over an anthill, making a point of not looking back even as my mind teases me with the thought. One wrongful step and it’s game over, no second chances. 

I somehow manage to keep pace with the hunter, my decently toned limbs and lithe form make up for what I lack in brute strength. 

Together we run through the forest fast enough for everything around me to blur into unrecognizable bits of matter.


	5. Chapter 5

One second, we’re running, sprinting with a speed I didn’t know I could reach as trees fly by. 

The next we’re falling. 

I tumble down the steep hill, rolling down rubble and dirt until I reach the bottom. Next to me the hunter lands effortlessly. Strong scaled shoulder blades roll, preparing for a brawl. Two serpents enter the arena on all fours, hissing and spitting at the two of us. The hunter backs up a little, putting some distance between us and them. I lick my dry lips keeping my eyes locked on the two pissed off aliens in front of me. I slowly get up on my feet, trying to keep my movements controlled and steady. The warrior unsheathes his wrist blades, sensing the tension. I pull out my hunters' knife, even though if it might as well have been a needle in this scenario. One of the serpents takes off, leaping on top of the predator as the two of them tumble across the ground, hissing and snarling, trying to rip each other's throats out. My eyes focus on the remaining alien, clearly noticing my vulnerable appearance... An easy target. I vaguely consider my options before turning on my heel and bolting. I take two sharp turns before tucking and rolling past a shelter of overgrown terrain and into a small ditch. I sit in the hole, legs up to my chest and hunters' knife in hand. I should be covered by the bushes from this angle, my body shakes. 

I hear it as it creeps, lurking close enough for me to feel it’s presence like a cold bucket of water pouring down my back. It breathes heavily, trying to sniff me out. My scent is most likely masked by the dirt and mud, a lucky coincidence on my part. I peek out from under the bushes, levelheaded with a pair of bony dark hindlegs. I take a slow breath, collecting courage. With as much strength as I can I go for it. 

The knife is sharp, meant for skinning animals, meant to do a lot of damage, and it does. The slice is clean and fast, but deep. The monster screeches angrily but I've already jumped over the side of the ditch and out of its reach. I look around to make sure that the other two are still fighting before I asses my attacker. It hisses with violence even as it’s wrist wobbles, it’s almost severed in half, bleeding acid profusely, not getting sprayed with the corrosive liquid was the reward of a lucky shot from a good angle. It stumbles, almost falling to the ground and I take a deep breath. It will be easier to kill it if it’s wounded and slow. It limps towards me with speed but I manage to dodge, cutting the knife along its side. It slams into me with its long tail and I fall to the ground with a thump. It lands on top of my and I yelp, only having my arms to block its nasty bite. I manage to keep it at arms distance by pushing my feet against its body, holding it away from me as it snaps its ugly maw at my face. I grunt in exertion, sweat beading on my brow and in an act of pure desperation I drive the knife through the side of the domed head. It hisses and whines and I kick under its jaw, snapping it upwards to roll out from under its body. It twitches, and then dies. I take my knife before switching my gaze to the hunter, as he looms above what seems to be two alien corpses. I breathe heavily, wiping off my sweaty hands on my jeans before standing up. I look up to the bipedal already watching me, my vision is blurring slightly. 

But then something in me falters. Behind him something tall and black is rising, it has its tail in the air and before I know what I'm doing my mouth is opening and I- 

“LOOK OUT!” 

The hunter turns around sharply, and for a moment I think I'm too late. But then I smell the burning, I see how the creature hangs lifelessly on the blades, and suddenly I can breathe again. The hunter tosses the creature on the floor, snorting at it obnoxiously before wiping it’s blades off. 

I sigh with relief, shoulders sagging. I collect my bearings and stumble over to lean against a dark spruce. It becomes my anchor as I sway, body and mind pushed beyond their limit. I try to get my head straight. I still need to get back to the cabin, to my friends. I shake my head, fighting the fatigue. 

I sway, head lolling backwards to rest against rough bark. 

I close my eyes, clenching my hands into fists to try and get some circulation going. I’m unsteady, barely maintaining my balance enough to stay still. My gaze blurs, focusing and refocusing on my shoes as I try to stay upright, to stay awake despite the fatigue. Two very large, very inhuman feet reach the corner of my peripheral. I laugh humorlessly, looking up and up and up until my gaze reaches the humanoids expressionless mask. 

“I think I've lost a little... A little blood...” I mumble. He doesn't respond of course. 

I shrug my shoulders, sighing. My body feels heavier, like I'm wearing weights. I raise my arms above my head, trying to access the situation in some way. 

“You don’t happen to have any gauze or somet- OW!” The hunter smacks the back of my head with a rough hand and I almost fall on my ass again, but he grips the front of my shirt, pulling me forcefully down to the ground as he crouches with me. I blink in surprise brain moving a little slower than usual. One or two times I try to get up but he just grabs my arm, pulling me down again with an irritated growl, so I eventually settle for counting the freckles on my arms to pass time. He takes something out, a small vial, with some kind of blue liquid inside. He pops open the vial and the stench make my nose scrunch. I just hope I don’t have to drink it. He moves behind me, movements languid and precise, trilling to himself. Two hands grip the back of my shirt and before I can protest Theres a loud rip. 

I shriek, covering my chest and smacking at his hands blindly from behind my back, I turn around, fisting the material to my chest, knuckles white and cheeks red. I turn my head over my shoulder to glare at him, feeling embarrassed as my ears burn with heat. He stares right back through his mask, unashamed, and I soften slightly. Turning back around with nothing more than a soft huff. 

I don’t know what I'm expecting exactly. I wait for something. Rough talons? Scaly hands? Slimy or dry skin? The last thing I was expecting was the pain. The cold gel reaches my skin and my spine arches upon contact, trying to physically escape from the burn. It burns more than the wound itself and I can’t help but yelp in pain. The creature behind me just rumbles lowly, not necessarily angry but not necessarily comforting either. Even as I resist, kicking and scratching anything I can reach to get away from the pain, he holds me with a steady grip. The more he puts on, the lesser it starts to hurt, my movements grow weak, my resistance grows halfhearted as my body fills with an extreme fatigue. 

It feels like hours pass before we’re done, and in the end hot tears burn my eyes. I’m overwhelmed and it shows. I take a shuddering breath, trying to calm down as my eyes flutter. I breathe out, and the wave of exhaustion that washes over me is both sudden and overpowering, I can no longer support my own weight and as such, I fall backwards. It is not a long fall, nor does it hurt as I expected it to. Although I can’t make much sense of anything with my vision filling with more black spots by the second. I vaguely register a rumbling sensation, a growl maybe, but my body has no energy left to spare, and so I can’t seem to care less. I curl up as much as I can with the amount of body control I still have, sinking into the warmth a little further. 

My body turns fully limp, slipping into unconsciousness.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morgan finds herself in unfamiliar territory. He isn't so bad, or is he?

> Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high  
> There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby
> 
> Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue  
> And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true
> 
> Someday I'll wish upon a star  
> And wake up where the clouds are far behind me  
> Where troubles melt like lemon drops  
> Away above the chimney tops  
> That's where you'll find me
> 
> Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly  
> Birds fly over the rainbow  
> Why then, oh why can't I?
> 
> If happy little bluebirds fly  
> Beyond the rainbow  
> Why, oh why, can't I?

_The woman on the bed finishes the song in a soft whisper. Fingertips tickle a young child's forehead in a soft motherly touch. Big childish eyes stare watchfully, mesmerized by the beautiful melody._

_“What is that?” the little one asks timidly, still whispering as if scared of breaking the frail moment with just her voice._

_The mother never ceases her humming and soft touches. “It’s a lullaby, to help put little ones to bed.”_

_The child shifts, small clumsy limbs flail under the soft dune sheets. With some struggle It turns to look at the woman on the small cihldrens bed. Soft brown curls frame a face aged by stress, but in this rare moment her tired eyes glow. Hours of work, hundreds of bills, she’d do over and over if it meant it secured all these little moments. Her little bundle of joy looks right back with unknowing eyes shining with wonder, not yet ruined by the harshness of adulthood. A somewhat sad smile forms, there is a motherly ache within._

_“It’s not very happy” The little one quips._

_Mother startles and with that the strange look is gone before the young one can understand what it could have been. The young woman on the bed smiles yet again, tilting her head slightly. “How so?”_

_“She wants to fly, but she can’t” The little one gestures excitedly before haphazardly throwing herself back onto the pillows. As the little wildling flops and flails around in the bedsheets, the young mother realizes with a tired sigh that she won’t be able to get her little bird to bed any time soon._

_Nevertheless, the mother settles onto the floor, leaning onto the bed with what could only be interpreted as endless patience. “Well how would she know?”_

_The young girl crosses her arms, flicking away stray hairs from her face with annoyance. As usual she had refused to have her hair brushed after bath time, and as such, the thick strands of her mane remained a tangled mess. She looked every bit as a wild child should. “People can’t fly, Miss Gruhler told us so in class. If you tried to fly you would fall, because of gravati” The young girl states this very matter-of-factly._

_“Gravity?”_

_“Yea that. What I mean is that it's not possible, so wanting to fly is Kinda dumb” dainty shoulders shrugs non committedly._

_Mother taps her finger against her chin, pretending to think really hard. She pulls a face before motioning for her young girl to move a little closer. A very young and very curious girl sits up with vigor, leaning forward with slight hesitance. Once the woman and the girl are close enough for their foreheads to touch, the mother smiles coyly, poking her little one's nose._

_“I think you can do anything, if you put your mind into it” The young girl looks skeptical of course, being young enough to idolize her mom more than anything else, but old enough to start doubting Santa Claus and the tooth fairy._

_“Not flying, people do-”_

_“-don’t fly- I know, I know. But you’re forgetting something.”_

_The young girl tilts her head to the side, yet again wiping the hair away from her face with somewhat muted aggression._

_I should cut it tomorrow; it will do her no good if its matted. Mother thought._

_Mother stares deep in thought before stroking her little one's soft cheek. "If you fell, I'd grow wings just so I could swoop down and catch you. Then we could fly together, ruling the skies... I’d take you far away to a place where nothing bad could ever reach us ever again” Tired blurry gaze is barely hidden behind the thin veil of motherly reassurance, but alas; the little girl is still too young to understand, and so she remains blissfully unaware. The girl furrows her brows tightly, seemingly deep in thought. She finally seems to make up her mind, scooting a little closer to lean into a safe embrace._

_“I think I'd like to fly then, if you are there too... You’ll fly with me, won’t you? Promise?_

_The woman smiles, and in a sweeping motion her little bundle of happiness is yet again tucked under the soft covers. Mother leans over to turn on the nightlight, placing fluttering kisses on a soft, round little face. “I promise. I'm flying with you, always” something warm and salty drips, going unnoticed in the dark. Her precious little one yawns, stretching small arms outwards to meet wet cheeks. She is lulled into soft slumber, without a worry of the future, as it should be._

_“Goodnight my sweet little bluebird.”_

____________________________________________

Somewhere somehow my brain sways into a slow awakening. Little sounds sipper in through my mind, interrupting dreams of lullabies and carousel rides with chirps of crickets and birds. Bluebirds maybe? Who knows, I'm not yet awake. My head is pounding with a persistent headache and even as my mind tells me to wake up my body remains stubborn. My eyes flutter tiredly once or twice before I finally muster up enough strength to actually wake up.

It’s blurry. But I know I'm not where I'm supposed to be. I blink in a daze, focusing enough to stare at the stone surface above me. I take a deep breath, face contracting from the pounding sensation of my brain trying to break out of my skull, and with a stiff motion I sit myself upright to lean against a cold surface. I come to realize by the distinct chill against my back that the fabric of my t-shirt is still ripped to shreds. Meaning that it had been real; The serpents, the hunter, the pain... All of it.

I huff, closing my eyes to collect my thoughts.

Okay breathe, remember the important stuff. First and foremost; Status check... So, where the hell are we?

I scan my surroundings as well as I can with my foggy eyesight. I’m in some kind of cave, sitting on top of a heightened platform. I can just about spot the small rays of remining daylight shining through the opening of the burrow. The walls are cold, but the floor is warm thanks to a weak bonfire in the middle. It seems to be something along the likes of a makeshift camp. It’s quite spacious, reminding me of a bear den.

There are a few strange devices and tools littered along the ground and I feel an immediate need to take a closer look. Wary, as I should be, I take a precautionary peek around the corner, searching the cave opening for any kind of unwanted company, but nonetheless nobody comes. I take the chance, jumping down from the platform and onto the ground. I glide over to the tools, making sure to keep an eye out before lowering onto my haunches to inspect the camp a little further.

The longer I study the items, the paler I get.

What I had initially pegged as some kind of tool was actually a bone, a femur to be exact, and it is the size of my arm. There were plenty of others too, claws, teeth, spines and some other parts I couldn’t identify no matter how hard I tried. With slight hesitance I grasp a skull with shaking hands. The domed skull is distinctly familiar, too familiar. But it is not the worst one out of the bunch, not by far. I force my eyes away from the suspiciously human-like skull that has been obnoxiously mounted along the wall like some kind of hunting piece... I try not to think about how many things have died right where I'm standing as I set the domed head back down with care.

Moving away from the not so cute DYI bone collection, something else catches my eye, glinting from the reflection of the dying fire.

My hands find the metal surface of the spear and I let my fingertips trace its surface with great care. It’s long and sleek, but as I feel it under my hands, I also feel it’s strength, how it vibrates with it... I curl my fingers around it carefully, the temptation to pick it up, to wield it and feel its power for even just a second- it's almost overpowering.

Who would wield this kind of weapon?

Who or what...

I hesitate, retracting my hand from the weapon as if it had burned me.

The image of a tall figure with the skin of a reptilian burns in my mind, a warning, and a good one at that. I straighten from my crouched position. The camp doesn’t exactly strike me as a human one, and based on the ancient hieroglyphic writing on the weapons as well as the odd collection of bones, I’d say I have a good guess on who’s it is. I have this strange feeling then, a prickle along my spine.

The hairs at the back of my neck are already standing to a point by the time I turn around.

It stands there, just as real as it had been last night. It walks a little closer, stalking me like a feline in the tall grass. It’s as tall as I remember. So tall that it has duck a little when entering the cave. I take a step back, feeling like a cornered animal as the tall brute covers my only exit. The hunter has something with him, and as he drops it to his side I couldn’t care less, I feel threatened, can’t look away, won’t. I instinctively reach for my back pocket, only to come up short, I pause and swear inaudibly through my teeth. I must have lost it in the forest along with the jacket.

Theres a sharp thrill and I look back up at the intruding presence as it reaches behind it’s back to pull something out.

It twirls my hunting knife between its giant talons, making it look pathetically harmless. It tilts its head, gauging my reaction before dropping into a crouch. He watches me for a second or two, trilling quietly before haphazardly tossing the knife in my direction. I flinch but it doesn’t hit me, instead it slides across the rubble before stopping right at my feet. My heart thunders in the silence and I look up to the hunter with apprehension, too on edge to actually go for it. He watches me for a couple of dreadfully long seconds before slowly rising to his feet. He huffs with obvious distaste, looking down at me in unabashed superiority.

Pathetic. He might as well have said.

Something in me is incredibly triggered by this, and despite my fear I hastily grab the knife. I watch the hunter with observant eyes. I know how to use it now, I know that I can use it to hurt and even kill, and so it sits comfortably in my hand, not so much feeling like a ticking time bomb anymore, but rather like an old friend. The hunter doesn’t seem fazed by my sudden movement, as it stalks towards me, strong body tensing and coiling like a loaded spring, I snap.

“That’s close enough.” I manage to bite it out.

I make my point by pointing the knife to its wide neck, it’s almost close enough for me to slice it, I could do it right across the chest if I wanted to... I don’t, but I will if I have to.

**“Bpi-de H’ka-se, Lou-dte kalei”**

It’s spoken in a series of baritone growls and clicks that couldn’t be further from human language. The coarse raspy sound startles me for a second.

It might walk on two legs, but this thing is not human, not even close.

It takes another step closer, still not heeding my warning and in a second my arm is moving through the air towards the side of its neck. It catches my wrist with ease and the pressure it puts on my wrist makes me wince. I pound my free fist against the solid chest but it doesn’t budge. The hunter growls irately at my frantic kicking and flailing, turning me to the side to pin me down on the cave floor. My breath is knocked out of me by the rough motion and in fast succession he pins me down beneath his heavy body. Keeping me in place with powerful thighs on each side of my body. My chest constricts with panic as I realize that I’m stuck and as my hand latches out to claw across its chest it snaps, snarling like a feral animal before pinning both of my hands down above my head with a crushing grip. I cry out from the pain, struggling frantically.

My eyes burn with frustration and I kick for a long time, but as minutes pass my limbs turn tired. I close my eyes, panting from exertion and stress. Ten minutes of kicking, clawing and screaming pass in a blur. My legs kick weakly once again, a futile attempt, but the solid, heavy mass refuses to budge even an inch. The only sound that echoes in the cave is my fast breathing as well as low, rumbling growls from the thing on top of me. I kick again.

**“Ki’cte!”**

A low rumble exits the mask, sounding more fed up than angry. I huff heatedly, staring up into the mask with an icy glare before sagging with a heavy sigh, my wrists ache from the force of his grip. What's the point anyway? He’s much stronger than me, not even breaking a single sweat even as he held me down for ten minutes without a break. He could snap my neck if he feels like it, so what's the point of kicking and screaming any longer?

**“Gkei’moun, Lou-dte kalei...”**

He’s calm now, collected even, and it pisses me off.

“Fine! You win, whatever! Please just- just let me go” It’s a defeated grumble from my part and my ears burn with the knowledge than I'm forfeiting willingly.

I don’t yet know if it understands me or not, but it seems to, as it only watches me for another minute, clicking shortly before letting me go with a huff, shaking its dreads. The pressure leaves my stomach and I can finally scoot back against the wall, feeling a little bit safer in the process. The hunter stretches like a lazy cat before turning his back on me in disregard. I wished my gaze would burn holes in the back of his head as I rub my sore wrists. There will definitely be bruises. I’m really good at getting battle wounds apparently.

My eyes widen with realization.

I roll my shoulders carefully, realizing with amazement that I had been moving unhindered despite my burns. They should have burned like hell, being so new, I should have been bedridden, immovable, but it hurts no worse than a dull ache. I absentmindedly touch the upper side of my ribs, deep in thought.

I move my gaze from the ground in front of me, to the strange hunter, now at a comfortable distance on the other side of the cavern. I watch him closely as he carries firewood from just outside the burrow, bringing it inside to refuel the fire. For someone so big he moves with a sort of fluidity, I guess it’s a necessary trait of a good hunter, power and prowess in one maybe. He starts to skin something, Large shoulders roll, flexing the muscles on a strong back, I look away then, somehow feeling like I'm intruding with my eyes. My fingers wander again towards the side of my ribs, my burn, and all of a sudden, I feel a little ashamed.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore” I remark as a matter of fact.

The only thing I get back is a grunt, as the hunter keeps skinning whatever he has in his hands. Feeling slightly encouraged by him not trying to kill me for even thinking about speaking; I continue.

“My burn I mean, that thing you put on must have helped.”

It doesn’t even huff this time, working in silence and most likely ignoring me. I sigh, leaning my head back to stare at the ceiling.

“Thank you.”

Silence. Absolute silence, even the noise of knife cutting through skin stops. The silence is uncomfortable, and for a moment I think he might have not heard me at all, which may have been good in itself, preferable even.

**“Sei’i”**

I just nod, not knowing how to respond, stupid really, not that he could see me with his back turned. He keeps skinning the animal like before, but his body language seems less aggressive, which makes me feel a little safer. I use the wall as leverage, standing up on my legs to walk over to the opening, he doesn’t stop me, either already eliminating me as a potential threat or simply not caring whether I leave or not. I let my eyes travel over the horizon, scanning the area. I turn to the large figure still crouched on the ground.

“So, am I free to go?”

He doesn’t turn to me.

**“Sei’i”**

I watch the dark sky, debating my choices. I don’t know how far he dragged me, I'll need to get to a high point, but I won’t see anything soon, it’s getting darker by the minute, and nighttime is definitely not the time to go wandering alone. I shoot the brute a look, chewing on the inside of my cheek. I could stay put, wait until dawn to move. Resting in the same room as a sated tiger is probably better than doing so outside. I turn to the brute, he’s admiring his trophies, trilling to himself. What a strange noise.

“I’m leaving at dawn, better sight.” I quip quietly.

The only answer I get is a low grunt, but I’ll take it. I make my way back to my safe corner, in the deepest part of the cave where the light can’t reach me. It’s cold, too far away from the warm flames of the bonfire to keep me warm, but I make due. Standing face to face with the creature is one thing, resting completely vulnerable and defenseless just a couple of feet away from it is another, being warm isn’t worth the risk. I wrap my arms around myself, wishing that I still had my jacket despite its burns. As I curl into myself, I watch the hunter. I tell myself that I'll stay awake to see the first beams of the sunrise, that I'll be out as soon as dawn breaks to catch up with my friends, my people. But as my eyes droop, the last thing I see is not the soft rays of dawn, but two distinct amber eyes, glowing, watching me in deep contemplation from the darkness.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you like it so far! will try to update once a week for as long as i can. Feel free to comment or leave kudos. It makes me really happy to know that someone out there is willing to read something i wrote hihi.


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